


Something's Gotta Give

by lovealways21



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:51:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1178343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovealways21/pseuds/lovealways21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she needed him, he wasn't there. "...Elijah was avoiding her, she knew he was and no one could tell her differently. Without him she felt lost, empty, angry...she felt a lot of things. How could he do this to her? She needed him and he wasn't there. She needed him darn it and he was avoiding her."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> This is my first attempt at Hayley/Elijah. I ship them to the point that I can't even explain how much I ship them...there are no words. This idea has been in my mind for a little while now and I finally got around to writing it. So far, I'm thinking this will only be a three parter...but that's so far. I may change my mind later on, you never know. Alright well, that being said...I hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> Here's part of the song that somewhat inspired this...
> 
> "Driving all alone on a one-way street, passing all the things we could be.  
> And I'm wondering when I'm gonna see you again.  
> And I'm wondering why we're always saying goodbye.
> 
> I've been waiting all this time for you to come, but you never do.  
> And just another call telling me that you wanted to.  
> I'm trying hard to make it work, I know what I deserve  
> Something's gotta give, something's gotta give, something's gotta give...  
> Before I give myself to you,"
> 
> \- Jordan Pruitt
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Originals...I just like to play around with the characters. I only own the plot.

Hayley stood up straight with her hands set overlapped on the banister overlooking the crowd of people below her. They all ate and chatted among themselves, all oblivious to the dangers that had and were still surrounding them on a daily basis. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of all of them. If she could forget everything that had happened since she'd arrived in New Orléans and join them in their oblivious states, she would. It would be better to just forget everything that happened, to not have to go through what she was going through now.

It had been a little over a week since Celeste and the other witches had succeeded in their plan to get rid of the baby. They didn't want a hybrid baby around and they did everything in their power to make it happen...and happen it did. There was nothing anyone could have done to stop it. Celeste had managed to get her way by insisting that she was the only one who could break the curse on Hayley's family therefore making sure that no one would try to kill her. Not once had anyone thought that Celeste was using that as a way to stick around long enough to make sure the baby wouldn't make it. They should have all known better, but unfortunately they didn't.

Hayley felt like she was about to cry as the memory replayed like a nightmare in her mind. She had been so nervous and yet excited when she'd went into labor, she was finally going to be a mom. Being a mom wasn't something she had really dreamed about or planned but she had come around to wanting it more than anything else. It had grown on her, slowly but surely. She had been looking forward to the perks of motherhood.

However, her nervousness and excitement hadn't lasted long, they were quickly overtaken by despair and pain. Hayley hadn't been expecting to give birth to a still-born, but there she was and there wasn't anything she could do about it but cry like she'd never cried before. It hadn't taken a genius to realize that it was all because of the witches, they were the only ones who had the power...especially seeing as if on her last checkup, which had been the day before, her daughter was perfectly healthy and she could hear a heartbeat.

Hayley quickly shook her head, escaping from the memory. She still felt like she was going to cry but no tears came out, it seemed that her tear ducts were dry as a bone now. She wasn't surprised by it, all the tears she had in her had all been shed for days after the unfortunate loss.

What no one would ever expect was that the tears she shed hadn't all been for the loss of the baby. Some of the tears were for something...or better yet, someone else. Ever since that night, she had felt lost and empty. But the feelings she was feeling weren't just because she didn't have her daughter with her, they were also because she didn't have Elijah with her.

Throughout her pregnancy they had formed a bond like no other. She wasn't going to lie to herself or anyone for that matter about the facts...she'd fallen for him, she'd fallen hard. Deep down she knew he'd fallen for her, too. He never said anything about it to her, he didn't have to. She could tell he had by the way he looked at her and by how he'd touch her, he'd touch her lightly...whether on purpose or accident she wasn't sure but sometimes she thought it could be both...and quickly pull away as if by touching her he was getting too close. Hayley had come to the realization over time that when Elijah fell in love, he loved deeply and if that meant pretending he hadn't fallen to keep her safe then that's what he'd do...and was doing very well.

The night she gave birth, Elijah had been there with her...she'd gone into labor a few weeks early. After learning about the fate of the baby, he had held her the rest of the night as she cried herself to sleep. She hadn't told anyone that Elijah had been the only thing keeping her from losing it completely.

If he hadn't been there she was absolutely sure that she would've lost it and killed herself...it sounded drastic now that she was thinking straight but at the time it seemed like a good idea, the only idea. It had crossed her mind just briefly before Elijah had wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know it but he had saved her that night. A part of her wanted to tell him that but another part was afraid of how he'd react, of what he'd think...would he think she was weak? She couldn't bear the thought of him thinking that of her.

Not that it mattered now, she hadn't seen or heard from him since that night. She'd fallen asleep in his arms and woken up by herself...well not by herself, Rebekah was there but it wasn't the same. Hayley felt alone and lost from that moment on even when she wasn't alone. No one could fill the void inside Hayley that Elijah's absence from her life had caused.

There was something about Elijah not being around that made her feel empty, especially when an entire day passed with no word or visit from him. For that first day, after Rebekah had told her that Elijah and Klaus had went on a witch hunt which lead to the demise of all involved, she just figured that he had his own way of coping with what had happened.

She soon and quickly realized that wasn't the case. One day turned into two which turned to three and so on until it was now a week and a few days since she'd last had any type of contact with him. Her tears for that whole week had been a mixture of coping with the loss of the baby and coping with Elijah avoiding her, she knew he was and no one could tell her differently. Without him she felt lost, empty, angry...she felt a lot of things. How could he do this to her? She needed him and he wasn't there. She needed him damn it and he was avoiding her.

She wanted so badly to confront him but it was really hard to do when no one would tell her where he was or what he was doing. The worst part of it all, they all knew damn well where he was and they wouldn't tell her. Instead they'd just lie straight to her face and expect her to believe them. Did they think she was that stupid? They had to know her better than that, or maybe they didn't. After all, they didn't stop the lies. She felt even angrier after that. Did they think that because she was a lot younger than them that she wasn't smart enough to see past their lies?

Hayley expected the lies from Klaus, despite the fact that he was being strangely sympathetic towards her...she had a feeling that it was because he could relate to how she was feeling since the baby was also his baby and he had lost just as much as she had...but other than that he was still being his usual manipulative and asshole self. But Hayley expected more and better from Rebekah. They had formed a close friendship over the months so being lied to by her about Elijah's whereabouts...that just hurt and angered her in an entirely different way.

Just to think that she thought things were different now that she was in a weird way somewhat a part of the family...or at least she thought she was. Although when she thought about how the Mikaelson siblings acted towards each other...she could kind of see it, not that it made her feel any better.

Once again, Hayley shook herself out of her memories and thoughts and focused her attention back to the crowd of oblivious people below her. She scanned the crowd slowly until she suddenly felt the urge to look towards the entrance and didn't think anything of it as she did. She froze immediately as she spotted what or who she had unconsciously been looking for every night that she'd stood overlooking the crowd. So many emotions...hurt, anger, betrayal, relief, and many others...washed over her at the speed of a tornado as she finally saw  ** _him_** for the first time in over a week.

Apparently sensing that she was staring at him, Elijah looked up and their eyes made contact. They both stood completely still just staring at each other for what felt like an eternity. Hayley suddenly didn't feel so lost and empty anymore, she felt relieved and almost...whole again.

All it took was the simple fact that he was there for some of the weight on her shoulders to be lifted off, not all of it but some...enough for now. But just as quickly as the feeling of relief had washed over her it was gone and replaced by anger. She could tell simply by the look in his eyes that he immediately knew of her sudden mood change.

Hayley was more than ready to confront him about his absence from her life as of late. She also knew he wasn't going to come to her, so she was going to have to go to him instead. But she couldn't let him know that, if she did then he'd be gone before she could even blink and that's the last thing she wanted because who knew how long it'd be until she saw him again if that happened.

With one last look, Hayley turned and slowly retreated into her room. She didn't want to give him any indication that she was planning on going down to confront him. When she was out of his sight she broke out into a run, she threw her bedroom door open and ran as fast as she could to get to him before he was smart enough to realize what she was doing.

He realized what she was doing just as she made it to the top of the stairs. They locked eyes for another brief moment before he quickly turned to go back out the door.

"Elijah!" Hayley yelled after him as she ran down the stairs, jumping down the last two steps.

She proceeded to push her way quickly through the crowd of people, she couldn't care less about the looks people were giving her.

"He's not getting away from me," Hayley assured herself as she ran outside.

She stopped and looked to the left but couldn't see him. Then she looked to the right and after momentarily scanning the semi crowded streets she saw his retreating figure.

"Elijah!" she called out as loud as she could.

There was no way that he hadn't heard her.

He froze at the sound of his name but didn't turn around.

"It's time for some answers," Hayley thought to herself as she took a deep breath, turning and making her way over to where he had stopped abruptly when she'd called out for him.

Hayley promised herself that she wouldn't let him get away from her again...not this time.


	2. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read this chapter, I feel that I should warn you...prepare yourself for some...alright that's a lie...prepare yourself for a chapter full of angst.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Originals...I just like to play around with the characters. I only own the plot.

Hayley slowly walked up to Elijah, who was still turned away from her, and stopped a few feet away from him. He hadn't made any attempt to turn around and Hayley had a feeling that he wasn't going to on his own...he'd probably need some encouragement from her, more or less. At first she was annoyed and angered by the fact that he didn't even have the guts to turn and look at her. But then she gave it some thought and decided that it was probably for the best. After all she was already pissed off at and hurt by him, but mainly pissed off at, to begin with and seeing his face right then would probably only have succeeded in pissing her off even more.

The lights all around them allowed her to see just barely that he was standing there tensely with his hands in his jacket pockets. For a brief moment she wondered why he wasn't wearing a suit like he usually did but quickly pushed it to the back of her mind upon remembering that she was supposed to be mad at him and not wondering about his choice in wardrobe. She returned her attention to how tense he was and realized moments later that he could probably sense the anger and hurt radiating off of her. Now that she thought about it, it was probably the reason why he wasn't turning around to face her. She knew him well enough by now to know that he was probably feeling too ashamed that he was the reason she was feeling like she was.

"Good, he should feel ashamed," Hayley thought to herself, glaring make-believe holes into his back...oh, how she wished they could be real ones.

It wasn't long before she grew tired of just standing there and analyzing everything she could about Elijah. She wanted answers, he owed her that much, and she was more than ready for them. Hayley took a deep breath, channeled more of her anger, and didn't bother to hold back as she began her much-needed interrogation of him.

"Where the hell have you been?" she spat, seething with her built up anger.

She didn't give him a chance to answer.

"How dare you avoid me and act like you don't even exist at such a time as this?" she hissed, shaking like she'd burst out of her skin any minute now.

"Hayley, I..." he started to say.

"Shut up!" she demanded effectively cutting him off. "You don't get to talk yet, right now it's my turn!"

She'd be damned if she was going to let him speak before she got everything she needed to off of her chest. He didn't get to just waltz back into her life after an unexplained weeks absence and expect for her to not have something to say about it. If she had to guess she'd say that he probably wanted to explain himself and then have her forgive him and just move on. Well, news flash...sorry but Hayley Marshall doesn't work that way. She was used to always getting the first and more times than not the last word, too.

"What kind of person claims to be as noble a yourself and then pulls a screwed up stunt like you did?" she asked, truly curious about what could have possessed him to just disappear like he did without a single warning. "One minute you're there comforting me in my time of need and then the next it's like you don't even exist!"

"Hayley..." Elijah tried again, this time turning to face her as he did.

As it turned out she had been right when she decided not seeing his face at the time was for the best. The second he turned around to face her all of her anger boiling inside her came to a head. Before she could stop herself she raised her hand and slapped him. Her hand instantly stung upon impact but she couldn't have cared less. The sting was the last thing on her mind as she watched his head turn to the side, not because of the force of the slap...well maybe partly...but because he hadn't been expecting it. Hayley didn't feel even the slightest bit of remorse for slapping him, he deserved it for everything he'd put her through the past week.

"It's still not your turn to talk!" she snapped when he turned his head back to look at her, shock and surprise evident on his face. "How could you do that to me?" she asked him.

He opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him.

"You put me through hell for an entire week, Elijah!" she exclaimed, her words immediately triggering another feeling from deep down inside her...pain.

Hayley felt herself start to falter between anger and hurt. She was quickly losing her anger to the pain she felt and she was sure that she'd have a surprise breakdown at anytime now, but she couldn't let that happen. As she tried to regain her angry composure and get hold of herself, she snapped her eyes shut tightly and took a few deep breaths. She would much rather yell at him than breakdown in front of him...he hadn't come anywhere close to having earned the right to see that side of her.

Elijah took her sudden silence as an opportunity to finally get a sentence in. "That wasn't what I had intended by my absence."

Hayley couldn't contain the dark chuckle that escaped her at that moment.

She shook her head in disbelief and as she continued to falter between anger and pain she managed, without as much of a bite as she wanted to, to spit out, "What did you expect to happen? Did you expect me to throw a party in your absence?"

"I didn't intend to hurt you, Hayley," he told her sincerely.

"Yet you did," she replied as she looked anywhere but at him.

It was then that she realized that their confrontation had acquired an audience from not only everyone outside but from everyone inside as well. In her angry haze she hadn't noticed how loud she had gotten but judging by the stares she was currently receiving she had an inkling.

"What are you all looking at?" she snapped, glaring at all of them. "Mind your own damn businesses!"

Everyone was shocked by her sudden rage towards them and quickly followed her order. Hayley realized then that she was so angry at Elijah that she had enough anger left over to take out on others. Once she was sure that they no longer had an audience, Hayley turned back to Elijah and crossed her arms over her chest.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down slightly, she spoke again, "I needed you this past week, not someone else...you!"

"I know," he said quietly as he looked her in the eyes.

The look in his eyes ended up being her undoing. Hayley didn't even have time to prepare herself before the pain pushed her anger onto the back-burner and she broke down. She'd known it was coming but she hadn't expected it to come on so quickly...especially not because of him.

"I needed you more than anything or anyone, and you weren't there!" she hissed at him through the tears that were now pouring down her face.

The look that etched itself onto his face at her words strangely both comforted and confused her. He looked just as hurt and broken as she felt at that moment.

"I didn't want to put you through anymore pain than you already went through," he confessed, his voice revealing that he felt remorseful over causing her so much pain and suffering. "I figured distancing myself from you would help you."

Hayley stared at him shocked and confused by what he was saying to her. She scanned his face for anything that would clue her in and help her figure out what he meant. The moment she looked deep into his eyes was the moment she knew. It all suddenly clicked into place...part of the reason he was avoiding her was as clear as day now. He blamed himself for what had happened.

"You blame yourself," she whispered as she wiped the tears off of her cheeks and managed to stop anymore from coming out.

He broke eye contact and looked away from her.

"Elijah!" she exclaimed reaching out for him. "What happened isn't your fault," she told him stepping closer to him. "Look at me!"

He didn't even attempt to look back at her, he just stood there as still as a statue.

"Elijah!" she tried again, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Just look at me, please!"

He still didn't move.

Hayley huffed in annoyance. If he wasn't going to look at her then she'd make him look at her. She reached up with both hands, placing them on either side of his head, and proceeded to make him turn and look at her. Hayley knew that he was letting her do it but just as long as he looked at her she didn't care who made him do it.

Once she was positive that he wouldn't look away from her, Hayley dropped her hands from his face.

"This isn't your fault, Elijah!" she began to try to reason with him. "They were gunning for the baby before me and you even met," she reminded him. "Before there was anything...any feelings...between us."

Hayley felt relieved when he didn't try to protest against her mentioning there being feelings between them. Without words, for the first time, he had finally admitted to her...not someone else...that he felt something for her, too. It wasn't just her, thank god!

"If it wasn't for Celeste..." he started breaking her away from her thoughts.

Hayley shook her head and held up a hand to silence him. "Just because Celeste was the one who was successful in the end doesn't make it your fault," she told him. "If it hadn't been her then it would have been another. Let's just call it what it is...the baby was doomed from the start no matter who it was in control."

Hayley hated saying it but it was the truth and nothing could change the fact that it was.

"If I had just killed her the moment I realized it was her..."

Hayley cut him off again. "Stop with the if's, Elijah!" she demanded. "Like I said before, no matter what you could have done differently it wouldn't have changed anything..." she trailed off. She was quiet for a few seconds before concluding her thought with, "...another witch would have taken over in a heartbeat."

An eerie silence fell between them.

"The fact that you were blaming yourself only explains part of why you stayed away for a week," Hayley spoke up breaking the silence once she got tired of it.

She was momentarily confused when Elijah immediately looked away from her after she finished talking. Her confusion ended quickly as she realized that she had brought up something that Elijah had hoped to avoid altogether. It was obvious that there was something else that he wasn't saying.

"There's something you're not telling me," she accused him, her eyes as wide a saucers. "What aren't you telling me?"

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it and shook his head.

"Elijah, tell me what you're keeping from me right now," she demanded.

"It's nothing," he told her, shaking his head again and shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"Liar!" she hissed.

This was just great. They were right back to where they started. She was mad at him and he was avoiding her. Well, not in the same way as before...he was there but he was being secretive with her and refused to tell her what was really the issue at hand. He might as well have been avoiding her again. Maybe he should have just stayed away...maybe she shouldn't have run after him.

"Too late now," she thought to herself.

Hayley was annoyed and tired, she suddenly just wanted the night to end already. She had wanted answers, gotten some, but then was left with yet again more questions. This time though she didn't expect to get any answers...not tonight and definitely not from Elijah.

He was being stubborn and was refusing to say anything else. And she was just over it all now. The only difference between last time and this time was that at least this time she was only left with anger and not pain. She could get by without Elijah by being angry, right? Well, she was about to find out.

"Fine, Elijah. You know what?" she muttered followed up with a frustrated sigh. "Just forget it."

With that said, Hayley turned and walked away from him leaving him and his secrets in her wake.

She had promised herself that she wouldn't let him get away from her again...but she never once promised that she wouldn't let herself get away from him.


	3. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a big fan of a friendship between Hayley and Rebekah...this chapter will prove that. Just one other thing before you read, I'm trying to keep the characters in character as much as possible but sometimes I may slip up and make them OOC. So I want to apologize in advance just in case I made any slip ups in this chapter. Alright, enough with me blabbing and on with the story. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Originals...I just like to play around with the characters. I only own the plot.

Hayley huffed, angry and frustrated, as she looked over at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was going on four thirty in the morning and she had yet to fall sleep. The last four hours had consisted of constant tossing and turning brought on by all of the racing thoughts crowding her mind. All of her thoughts were in one way or another about what had happened when she had confronted Elijah earlier that night.

She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she had pushed the conversation further. Would Elijah have told her what he was hiding from her if she hadn't gotten annoyed and given up so easily? Or would he have walked away from her again to avoid her persistent questioning? And if it had ended up with him walking away would she have ran after him a second time? Or would she have broken her promise to herself and let him just walk away again?

No matter how hard she tried to shut down her brain so she could get some sleep, she failed every time. The questions were weighing too heavy on her mind to just go away long enough to give her a much needed break from reality. Therefore, she wasn't going to be able to get any sleep and she wasn't going to be able to forget about what else Elijah was hiding from her either. More or less, she was basically stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

" _Maybe fresh air will help_ ," Hayley suggested to herself.

She thought about it for a moment and briefly smiled to herself.

" _Better yet, maybe I'll go for a jog in the park_ ," she thought. " _Kill two birds with one stone_."

Without a second thought, Hayley threw her covers off and swung her legs off the side of the bed. Hayley stood up and walked over to her dresser pulling out a pair of jogging pants and a tank top, both of which were better suited for going outside in the early morning cool air. She changed her clothes quickly and slipped into a pair of sneakers. On her way out of the room, she made sure to grab her IPod.

Hayley tip-toed out of her room and down the hall, she wasn't sure if anyone was even there but she didn't want to take the risk. She just wanted to go for a simple jog in the park. Was that too much to ask? Her silent question was answered the second she reached the stairs. Yes, yes it was too much to ask.

" _You have got to be kidding me!_ " Hayley exclaimed to herself, running a hand through her hair as she shook her head in disbelief.

What had she ever done to be so unlucky?

"Rebekah," she said with a small smile acknowledging her presence.

Rebekah smiled back briefly. "Where are you going so early?" she wondered, looking up at her curiously.

Hayley shrugged nonchalantly as she dropped her hand. "To the park," she told her simply as she began her descent down the stairs.

Rebekah raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why?" Rebekah asked sounding as if the thought of going to the park was such a rare occurence.

"To take an early morning jog," Hayley answered as she passed Rebekah on the stairs. "It's time for me to get back into shape," she admitted upon seeing the doubtful look on Rebekah's face. "I hate looking at myself in the mirror every day and being reminded of...well..." she trailed off.

It was the truth. Every time Hayley would look in to the mirror and, or step on to the scale and notice the baby weight that was still there...it was hard for her to handle. But at the same time, she was mainly only saying it to keep Rebekah from realizing what was really going on. Hayley hoped that Rebekah wouldn't see through her attempt at using it to cover up the real issue.

Rebekah suddenly nodded in understanding and in a tone that sounded a bit like she had forgotten about what had happened replied, "Of course."

Hayley walked towards the door without stopping to turn and look at Rebekah. She was afraid that if she looked at her the truth would be revealed based on whatever facial expression was on her face at the time.

"I should really get going now if I want to get a few miles in before the crowds start to form," Hayley called behind her as an excuse to get out of there quickly.

What Rebekah said next took Hayley completely by surprise.

"Would you like some company?" Rebekah asked.

Hayley froze immediately. "Umm...seriously?" she asked, the shock she felt was evident in her tone.

She never would have expected in a million years for Rebekah to ever go jogging with her...let alone offer to.

Hayley didn't even try to hide the shock on her face as she turned around to face her.

Rebekah shrugged her shoulders. "I have nothing better to do."

Hayley frowned.

"And you seem on edge about something," Rebekah added as an after thought.

Hayley rolled her eyes and shook her head.

" _Now that sounds more like the Rebekah I know,_ " Hayley thought to herself.

Hayley was once again taken off guard by what Rebekah said next.

Rebekah grinned knowingly at Hayley with a small evil glint in her eyes as she spoke, "Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to shed some light on the problems you're having with Elijah."

Hayley's eyes widened and it was very possible that her jaw hit the floor. She quickly pulled herself together. "What?" she asked, shocked. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she added moments later, feigning being clueless.

Rebekah chuckled. "I'm not stupid, Hayley."

" _I wish you were_ ," Hayley thought to herself, feeling her heat beat faster as she realized that Rebekah was definitely on to her now.

"Besides, I witnessed the confrontation between you and Elijah last night," Rebekah informed her and laughed. "Or better yet your confrontation," she corrected herself. "He barely got a word in."

Hayley looked away from her and adverted her gaze anywhere else.

Rebekah laughed. "And you say I'm a bitch."

Hayley suddenly snapped her head back in her direction. "It's totally different and you know it!"

Rebekah shook her head and rolled her eyes. She ignored Hayley as she turned and continued up the stairs.

"Give me a few minutes to change into appropriate athletic attire," Rebekah told her before disappearing leaving Hayley alone to her own thoughts again.

Hayley took the time, as she waited for Rebekah, to think things through and in the end came to the conclusion that just because Elijah wouldn't tell her the other reason why he had spent the last week avoiding her it didn't mean Rebekah wouldn't. After all, it couldn't just be a coincidence that now that Elijah had come out of the shadows and revealed himself, whether intentional or not, to her that Rebekah was all of a sudden ready to tell her the truth instead of lying to her. Could it?

Over time, Hayley had come to know Rebekah quite well. Rebekah was almost always straightforward and always found a way, one way or another, to get what she wanted. The same went with getting to say what she wanted to whoever she wanted. So maybe Hayley had been asking the wrong questions for the past week. Was it possible that if she had just asked Rebekah if she knew why Elijah was avoiding her that she would have told her?

She didn't know for sure but she was going to find out during their jog, she would make sure of it.

**~SGG~**

Hayley waited until she and Rebekah were walking back to the French Quarter to start questioning her. She felt more relieved and at ease than she did in the past week altogether. While getting some fresh air and running a couple of miles around the park she was able to clear her mind of the thoughts that had been haunting her, even if it had just been for the time being. The fact that Rebekah had actually stuck by her the entire time and didn't complain about being tired or bored was also enough to distract her as well. All she could think about was when would Rebekah decide she had jogged long enough but it never came. They had even gotten through a whole conversation without a single mention of Elijah or anything else. But now it was time to get down to business, so to speak.

"You know why Elijah was avoiding me?" Hayley said as more of a statement than a question.

Rebekah nodded and answered, "Yes, I do." But she said no more other than that.

Just to be safe, Hayley clarified, "I mean, other than because he blamed himself for what happened."

Rebekah turned her head and smiled briefly at her. "It's about time you brought that up."

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asked, curiously.

"I promised my brother that I would keep quiet unless you brought it up." Rebekah grinned. "And now you've brought it up."

Hayley stopped walking abruptly in the middle of the abandoned street. "Okay, so what's the other reason?"

Rebekah followed suit and turned to face her. "Are you sure you want to know this?"

Hayley nodded and answered without hesitation, "Yes."

"Alright well just promise first that you won't stake the messenger," she joked.

Hayley was momentarily worried and wondered if maybe she'd be best off just not knowing after what Rebekah said. She quickly shook it off though as the need to know won her over.

"I promise not to stake you." She grinned and joked back, "Besides, you're in luck...I left my stake at home."

Rebekah laughed in reply. "Not that it would do any good."

Hayley shrugged her shoulders. "It's the thought that counts," she stated. "Now start talking."

Rebekah didn't say anything at first.

"Just cut to the chase," Hayley told her.

Rebekah nodded her head and cleared her throat before cutting to the chase like Hayley said. "Before Elijah killed Celeste, Celeste mentioned that it wouldn't end with her. As it turns out..." she trailed off.

"As it turns out what?" Hayley asked, urging her to continue.

Rebekah frowned before she answered, "It seems that even in death our mother is in control of everything that happens with the witches."

It was Hayley's turn to frown. " _That doesn't sound good_ ," she thought to herself as she recalled what little she had heard about Esther.

Rebekah continued breaking Hayley from her thoughts, "And since all of her plans to kill us have continuously failed she's settled for destroying us in other ways."

Hayley noted that Rebekah seemed somewhat discomforted by the facts that she was revealing.

"All of that meaning that we're not going to catch a break..." Rebekah continued. She paused and then concluded with, "...ever."

Hayley listened intently and processed everything Rebekah said in her mind as best she could but it didn't help much.

"What does this have to do with me?" Hayley asked, confused.

Rebekah sighed and looked at her. "Due to Elijah and his history of women he's loved..." she trailed off trying to decide how to word what she was going to say. "He's afraid that if he doesn't avoid you and get rid of his feelings for you soon that you'll become an even bigger target than you already are," she concluded.

"Well damn," Hayley muttered under her breath.

It all made sense now, she just wasn't sure whether she should be more pissed or comforted by the revelation. On one hand it was comforting because he was trying to protect her. On the other hand it pissed her off because he was taking her choice away. Maybe there was a way she could be a bit of both?

"I think Elijah and I need to have another conversation," Hayley spoke out loud to no one in particular.

Rebekah grinned at her. "You mean you do."

"Shut up!" Hayley hissed, rolling her eyes.

Rebekah just laughed. "Oh look! A little preview of what's to come."

Hayley decided against biting back with words and quickly bent down to pick up a rock.

Rebekah moved out of the way just in time as that very same rock was quickly sent flying in her direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hayley and Rebekah deserve some more just girl time than they get on the show. Hence, this entire chapter was just them. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Shocker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Hayley/Klaus scene in my mind wouldn't leave until I wrote it so I caved in wrote it. I assure you it is important to the story...in order to cover all bases.. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Originals...I just like to play around with the characters. I only own the plot.

The door slammed shut behind her as Hayley glanced around the seemingly empty courtyard for any sign of Elijah being or having been there recently. She hadn't seen or heard from him since she'd turned the tables and was the one to walk away from him. It turned out to be a not so good idea on her part though, especially since she had just learned the truth from Rebekah and needed to talk to him about it. Hayley was intent on making things right between them again, but she couldn't do that if she didn't know where the heck he was.

When she saw no signs of him being there she ran upstairs to Elijah's study to see if he was in there. Much to Hayley's dismay, he wasn't there either.

Hayley shook her head and sighed.

"I take it you're looking for my brother?"

Hayley, startled, jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. She hadn't heard anyone come in or seen anyone there when she'd been looking around downstairs for Elijah. Apparently, she hadn't been looking hard enough...or maybe he had been in another upstairs room? But that would still fall under the category of not looking hard enough. Either way it didn't make her feel any better about her current predicament, especially since **_he_** was the last person she would have expected to come across at the moment. After all, **_he_** had never been one to start a conversation between them before...well, alright that's a lie...on occasion he had, but that occasion wasn't very often.

After regaining control of her currently fast beating heart Hayley spun around to come face to face with Klaus.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked him cutting to the chase, an eyebrow cocked slightly out of curiosity.

"I might," Klaus answered simply, not being much help.

Hayley wasn't at all surprised by his answer, she'd come to expect as much from him over the past nine months or so.

"Do you know where he is or not?" Hayley asked again as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Klaus smirked. "Answer my question first, love."

Hayley raised both eyebrows in confusion. "You didn't ask me a question," she stated, cautiously.

"What's going on between you and Elijah?" he asked as he propped himself up against the wall that was closest to him.

Hayley opened her mouth to say something but Klaus beat her to it.

"And I just did," he replied, grinning smugly.

Hayley was momentarily confused by what he meant before she remembered what she had last said to him. She scoffed upon realization and rolled her eyes at his somewhat childish antics.

"Real mature," Hayley muttered under her breath knowing full well that he could hear her.

He ignored her. "Are you going to answer my question?"

Hayley thought about it for a few seconds before she shrugged her shoulders and answered, "It's nothing, we're just friends."

And it was the truth, sort of. She had no idea what was really going on between her and Elijah. All she knew was that they had feelings for each other, but that was it. She didn't know whether they'd ever be more than what they were now...friends. Were their feelings for each other strong enough to get them out of the friend zone? Her first guess and hope would be yes.

Klaus being Klaus noticed and called her out on her doubts. "You don't sound so sure."

Hayley was about to reply with a snarky remark but decided against it at the last second. Instead, she shook her head and asked in an annoyed tone, "Why the hell am I standing here and having this conversation, or lack thereof, with you?" She then waited a couple seconds before adding, "I mean, you of all people are the last person that I should be talking about any of this with."

Hayley turned to walk away but stopped halfway towards the staircase and turned back around when something occurred to her that she hadn't thought about before because she'd been so surprised by him talking to her.

"A better question, though..." she trailed off momentarily. "Why did you bring up the subject?" she asked truly curious. "All I did was ask you if you knew where he was and then next thing you know you're asking about us."

He didn't say anything back at first, he just stood there looking deep in thought as if he was choosing his words carefully. "I was just curious," he finally answered nonchalantly as if the situation really wasn't all that big of a deal...Hayley would beg to differ.

Hayley was doubtful. "Why?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "Believe it or not, I'm not all bad."

Hayley couldn't help but laugh at his answer, there were tears in her eyes almost immediately. After all the angst from the past week she had needed a good laugh and Klaus's answer had provided just what she needed.

"Yeah, right! You and not all bad in the same sentence?" she asked once she had control over herself again. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"I'm glad you find my words humorous."

"What did you expect?" Hayley questioned. "The words came from you."

Klaus glared at her. It was obvious to Hayley that he was experiencing the whole, "it's not fun when you're the brunt of the joke," feeling...not that he'd ever admit it, he'd just mask it with glares and any other look of anger...but Hayley wasn't fooled.

"Alright, let's get serious again," Hayley said having had enough of teasing Klaus and now back to wanting to get to Elijah as soon as she could. "Do you know where Elijah is or not?"

"Check the plantation house," he told her.

Hayley smiled briefly. "Thank you," she replied sincerely as she turned to walk away. "Now had you just told me that first thing, I could have been on my way and that awkward conversation wouldn't have taken place," she muttered to herself under her breath.

"Oh, and word of advice," Klaus called after her just as she was about to reach the door to her bedroom.

Hayley paused. "What advice?" she wondered out loud.

"Just do what I do when dealing with Elijah when he's being stubborn," he said.

" _What is he talking about?_ " Hayley asked herself. "I'm not gonna stake him." She grinned teasingly as she turned around to look at him yet again. "I'm not you."

Klaus grinned back at her. "Never said you were."

Hayley rolled her eyes.

It was Klaus's turn to laugh. "That's not what I was getting at either."

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Then what were you getting at?"

"Make him listen to you, to see things your way," Klaus offered her.

Hayley was extremely confused as to what was now being talked about. "Wait, what?"

A bigger grin had made it's way onto Klaus's face. "Don't give up as easily as you did last night."

Hayley's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what Klaus was talking about. "Did everyone witness that?" she practically shrieked.

"Don't sound so surprised, love." Klaus laughed. "You weren't exactly the poster child for private arguments at the time."

Hayley didn't say anything back for a while as she took everything in that had so far transpired between her and Klaus in the past few minutes. She couldn't help but wonder why he had not only started the conversation between them but also why he was giving her advice on how to handle Elijah. This wasn't the Klaus behavior that she was used to seeing. Maybe there really was a different, nicer side to him than she'd seen.

"You're okay with all of this?" she asked curiously not being to help the question from falling passed her lips. "Not that it matters what you think, I'm just curious why you're fine with everything?"

Whatever Hayley had just witnessed of the nicer side of Klaus was suddenly gone. "What makes you think I even care?" he asked harshly.

" _What did I expect?_ " Hayley asked herself as she shook her head and scoffed. "Nevermind," she snapped at him and turned to stomp off.

"You're the only one I've ever approved of..." she thought she heard him mutter under his breath. "...even just a little bit."

Hayley stopped short, shocked, and frozen in place. "I'm sorry," she spoke slowly turning back...again. "I don't think I heard you correctly," she said not being able to find it in herself to believe her ears.

"You heard me just fine." He called her bluff. "I won't repeat it."

"Why?" Hayley asked before she could stop herself.

Klaus shook his head and pushed off of the wall where he'd been standing the entire time.

Hayley stared at him intently and she was able to read something on his face before he immediately put his mask back up and looked away from her.

"I'll be damned," Hayley muttered in awe as everything finally clicked in her mind. "Deep down you just want what is best for him." She stared at him, eyes wide. "None of his past...umm...loves..." she trailed off trying to figure out what to say next. "You didn't think any of them were good enough for Elijah, did you?"

Klaus didn't answer and an awkward silence fell between them.

"Why me?" she asked him breaking the silence.

Klaus shook his head as he walked past her. "It's not important."

Hayley immediately followed after him. "It is to me!" she yelled after him.

A reply was still nonexistent.

"It's because you don't feel threatened by me, isn't it?" she guessed just as they reached the top of the stairs.

Klaus paused but didn't turn around.

"All of the others were going to take him away from you in the end," she continued when he didn't object, crossing her arms. "Or at least that's what you thought so you had to do something to make sure it didn't happen."

Klaus was quiet and didn't move for at least another minute before finally saying, "You guessed it."

Then he disappeared down the stairs before Hayley could even think of something else to say.

Hayley stood there in stunned silence for some time before she shook herself out of it. She could replay the conversation that she'd just had with Klaus over and over on her way to the plantation. As shocked as she was by what Klaus had told her and just by him talking to her in general...she still had more important things to do...like make things right between her and Elijah.

With one last glance in the direction that Klaus had just disappeared, Hayley made her way to her room to retrieve her car keys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give you all a heads up, the next chapter will be the last chapter.


End file.
